The Ringer-Verse

Ben, Steve Ahlman, and Matt James discuss ‘GTA VI’ review timing, Ben’s research on how extreme this year’s pre-‘GTA’ gaming blockbuster boss rush has been, and their spoiler-free impressions of acclaimed new action game ‘Phantom Blade Zero.’ Then Ben brings on Kotaku’s Zack Zwiezen to talk about how ‘Battlefield 6’ and ‘ARC Raiders’ have held up one year in, the pressure on ‘Call of Duty’ to bounce back from a down year, whether ‘Modern Warfare 4’ has delivered the goods, Zack’s thoughts on online-shooter sensations ‘Wardogs’ and ‘Deadlock,’ and why Electronic Arts killed BioWare.

(00:00) Intro

(12:33) 'Phantom Blade Zero' discussion

(46:20) 'Call of Duty' and shooters Conversation with Zack Zwiezen

Host: Ben Lindbergh

Guests: Matt James, Steve Ahlman, and Zack Zwiezen

Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman
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On this month’s Recommends, Ben brings back fellow Stephen King and Mike Flanagan enthusiast Zach Dionne to talk about how Flanagan’s new ‘Carrie’ TV series takes a fresh approach to King’s iconic tale. Then they discuss King’s new novel ‘Other Worlds Than These’ and how it functions as a coda to the ‘Talisman’ trilogy and the ‘Dark Tower’ saga. They also get into King sequels they’d like to see, the future of Flanagan’s King adaptations, and three King-ian TV shows that came out (or arrived on Netflix) just in time for Halloween: ‘From’, ‘Below’, and ‘Crystal Lake.’ After that, Ben summons Jomi Adeniran and Daniel Chin to break down the story, characters, and questionable parenting decisions of the animated TV series ‘Avatar: Seven Havens’, the latest release in a busy 2026 for the ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ franchise.

(00:00) Intro

(02:58) 'Carrie' talk with Zach

(18:55) 'Carrie' spoilers!

(69:41) 'Avatar' talk with Daniel and Jomi

(91:59) 'Avatar: Seven Heavens' spoilers

(01:51:29) Outro

Host: Ben Lindbergh

Guests: Zach Dionne, Daniel Chin, and Jomi Adeniran

Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman

Additional Production: Arjuna Ramgopowell
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The Boys are back, and boy do they have content for you! First, they’re tackling DC’s newest film, ‘Clayface.' Then they discuss Nathan Fielder’s buzzing new film, ‘You Can See Everything,’ and they leave you with their thoughts on the last ‘Dune: Part Three’ trailer before the film is released in December!

(0:00) Intro

(4:41) ‘Clayface’ instant reactions

(1:04:27) Midnight Meter: ‘Clayface’

(1:11:52) ‘You Can See Everything’ instant reactions

(2:01:05) Midnight Meter: ‘You Can See Everything’

(2:02:42) ‘Dune: Part Three’ trailer instant reactions

(2:09:32) Outro

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris, Devon Baroldi, and Jamie Yukich

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell
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The Boys are back and they’re diving back into ‘VisionQuest’! They discuss the development of Paladin throughout the series so far, debate whether the MCU has reached pinnacle blip fatigue, and talk family reunion drama.

(0:00) Intro

(5:24) Spoilers ahead

(7:44) ‘VisionQuest’ Episodes 3-4 instant reactions

(59:33) Outro

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris, Devon Baroldi, and Jamie Yukich

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell
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Ben and Matt James break down the good, bad, and ugly of gaming’s recent reckoning with AI-driven development, decompilation, and cloning, and assess whether it will fundamentally reshape the medium’s economic and creative model. Then they provide their impressions of the newly released ‘Final Fantasy Resonance’ and ‘Nintendo Switch Sports Resort’ and react in real time to the dissolution of storied studio Bioware. Finally, Ben sets the scene for 'GTA VI' by bringing on The Atlantic’s Jeremy Gordon to reminisce about the October 2001 release of ‘Grand Theft Auto III’ and discuss how it altered the trajectory of open-world gaming and created the ‘GTA’ juggernaut.

(0:00) Intro(1:40) AI talk(34:45) 'Final Fantasy Resonance'(46:32) 'Nintendo Switch Sports Resort'(54:08) Follow-ups to last week's pod(57:41) Bioware news(1:01:49) Jeremy Gordon joins the show

Host: Ben LindberghGuests: Matt James and Jeremy GordonProducer: Isaiah Blakely
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